


Splat Contain Protect beta finale

by thepandemicwillend



Series: Splatoon Against the Multiverse extras [2]
Category: SCP Foundation, Splatoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27308188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepandemicwillend/pseuds/thepandemicwillend
Summary: the original, frankly inferior, versions of fully revised chapters of Splat, Contain, Protect. I've saved them for archival purposes, but you should probably keep some booze handy.
Series: Splatoon Against the Multiverse extras [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025455





	1. chapter 64 BETA

The ground cracked open, reducing the streets and buildings to fiery red heaps, as the demonic hordes of the Scarlet King jumped through the gateways to the realm where he had once been imprisoned. They were creatures of pure rage and terror, born out of the malice of their own creator. About 7 of 8 feet tall, with all limbs ending in long, merciless claws and teeth that could bite through the toughest of hides like wet tissue paper. Of course, they were nothing compared to the king of the darkness below. A pillar of light emerged from the center of the pillars in the alternate dimension, signifying his release and the end of days. A massive creature, covered in red scales and a head adorned with sharp, branching horns, rose from the ground out of the crack in reality. Khahrahk loomed over the ruins of the city, covered in a sickly red glow. Down below, the two groups rendezvoused at the corner of two streets that hadn’t collapsed into the crimson void. “Guys, what happened?” Tristan demanded, shaking Trevor by the shoulder. “Well, obviously we failed.” His brother responded bitterly. “No way. We haven’t failed, not yet.” Pearl brandished her dualies. “I may not know much about this whole SCP or Scarlet King stuff, but what I do know is that until we’re all dead and the world is destroyed, we’re not giving up. This isn’t the end, just another setback.” The others considered her stance. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but she’s right. We’re the foundation. We secure, contain, and protect. It’s just going to become much more difficult than ever.” Clef reluctantly agreed. A small horde of the King’s monsters appeared in front of them, attacking the militia. They charged at each other, Kondraki whipping out his gun to smack a monster in the head, turning to shoot it in its glowing red eyes. Pearl rolled between two of them, shooting with her dualies while Marina dropkicked one before using her brella as a shield against the other’s claw swipe. Clef kicked one in the shin, knifing it in the stomach before pulling out his gun. Callie swung her roller into the back of one demon, only for another to grab the weapon and spin her around. A third demon jumped to disembowel her, only for Callie to turn into a squid, causing the demon to knock her own roller into its comrade. She turned back into a humanoid, grabbing her roller back before the creature was killed by a plasma shot from behind, revealing Marie holding her charger. The Bailey triplets stood back-to-back in a makeshift triangle, shooting the creatures whenever they came near. Dana kicked one of the beasts, allowing Fred to shoot it in the side of its head with a thaumaturgic handgun. Jack grabbed one from behind, using his third eye to foresee it throwing him off in a few seconds. The third eye could only foresee enemy actions about 5-8 seconds ahead of time, and even then he couldn’t use it on command. However, it was useful for kicking off the demon’s back just as it was about to throw him off, causing it to lose its balance before he blasted it between the eyes with his own thaumaturgic pistol. Troy allowed one monster to charge at him, using its own momentum to throw it into one of its fellows. Dr. King threw a grenade into the group of fallen demons, exploding in the middle of them. Despite how many of the Scarlet King’s minions they killed, a dozen more seemed to appear by the second. "We can't keep going like this. We need a more effective way of defeating these things." Onteus decided, using his sword to slice straight through one of the invaders. A van appeared from around a corner, driving straight through a dozen demons until one jumped on top of the hood, clawing straight through the engine. The van swerved to the side as a dozen teenagers jumped out of it. “Guys! We’re back!” Marcus called out as Lewis ran a few feet closer to the van. He gestured to the vehicle, hurriedly yelling, “gust gaoithe!” To send it hurtling across the street where it exploded and sent a small squadron of demons flying. “Where the hell were you guys?” Callie exploded, uncharacteristically angry. “While you were gone, Inkopolis was nearly destroyed by a fire-breathing kaiju, and now in case you missed it, the Scarlet King is free! I tried calling you, but none of you answered, and now you’ve brought some others I don’t even recognize!” “Callie, I’m sorry, really, I am, but the Chaos Insurgency was in my old town, and I had to go and stop them before they hurt anyone else!” Lauren blurted out, while Marcus added, “Plus, we brought some souvenirs!” “Oh, yeah, this is the blue team. They’re friends of mine from Innsmouth county, but I’m guessing now’s not the time for introductions.” “We saw the Scarlet King was out, and the blue team said they wanted to help, so we gave them some spare transporters and we went to base, and Eric hotwired the van so we could get here as fast as possible.” Katherine rapidly summarized, adding, “The place is practically unrecognizable; it’s crawling with these freaks.” “We need a plan.” Nate posited, dodging the swipe of a demon’s claws before slamming it with his inkbrush. “I heard on the way over here that you guys have representatives from a bunch of different groups. Now’s the time to start doing whatever it is you’re going to do.” “Alright, alright. While the four of us were researching the Scarlet King, we figured out what we’re supposed to do in case it gets free, but we only found one record of it ever working in the history of existence.” Troy explained. “We’ll need one of us from each of the six groups to go stand around that gateway to the King’s prison dimension-” he pointed to the blood-red pillar emerging from the ground, stretching far into the sky. “-and perform the sealing ritual. Unfortunately, these things-” He socked one of the demons in the gut before shooting it with a thaumaturgic pistol. “-aren’t going to stop appearing, and they’re not going to just let us reimprison their king.” “Right. The rest of us will guard your group while you’re busy with the ritual, as long as we’re able to hold out.” Dr. King assured the six, as an explosion went off nearby. Out of the smoke emerged a man carrying a shotgun, shooting any nearby demons with extreme prejudice while another man lobbed grenades in every direction. “Shotgun! You’re back!” Katherine yelled, waving over to the human. “Wait, his name is Shotgun?” Samantha asked, confused. “Yeah, it’s a whole thing with them.” “Yeah, we saw something apocalyptic was happening here, and, well, it was a unanimous decision to come help you guys. Also, this guy showed up asking about a random girl.” He gestured nearby, where Craig was using his charger not as a cane like usual, but to strike at nearby demons while shooting those farther away. “Hey gramps, good to see again.” Marie called over. “Callie, Marie, you have no idea how worried I’ve been about you two. Still...” He chuckled hoarsely. “I suppose you two aren’t exactly alone now.” “Right, the people of New IKEA are fighting these demons on the streets. While me, Grenade, and the captain were looking for you lot, we saw a bunch of guys fighting them too, and a lot of them looked like they had machine parts. Friends of yours?” “Yes!” Bumaro raised his blade-hand into the air before slicing down another demon. “I knew my fellow Mekhanites would keep fighting to the bitter end. We must not let their sacrifices be in vain.”

The Scarlet King was a truly gargantuan being, his size befitting of an elder god. His ankles scraped the cloud layer, looking to the mortals below like the trunks of some great and terrible red trees piercing the skies. His head reached past earth’s atmosphere, his dozens of branching horns scraping the cosmos above. From hundreds of miles away, a fleet of spaceships approached the King, the full force of the Ortothan military now trained on the defiler. He called forth a scarlet sphere of pure energy from between his two sets of horns, blowing apart an entire swath of Ortothan ships. Those that remained were hardly deterred, as they continued to swarm around the King’s head. By his mere existence outside his imprisonment in Universe-Kappa-Erikesh, the Scarlet King tore the fabric of reality itself, summoning a swarm of Twelve Stars ships to combat the Ortothans. For every one ortothan ship, there were three more Twelve Stars ships to counter them. The defenders of the second hytoth fought as valiantly as ever, but their vessels were annihilated by the hundreds. Just as it seemed the King’s forces would win out against the Church of the Second Hytoth, four divine spears pierced his chest, each as long as his forearm. Black blood flowed out of the open wound, the King effortlessly healing himself. Before the spears could fall to the earth below, they were summoned back up as their owner made himself known. He was a humanoid, clad in flowing robes of an undefinable coloration, whose height barely matched that of the devourer’s horns. ‘Finally.’ Rakmou-leusan, the last of the Koru-teusa, thought to himself as he stared down the entity that had destroyed the original hytoth billions of years ago. ‘A challenge.’

“Now how the bird got in my hat, I’ll never know.” “A truly fascinating tale, child, but perhaps right now we ought to focus on the continued preservation of existence?” Lord Blackwood turned with his sword, slicing a demon’s stomach in half while Margaret jumped to kick one in the eye. “Hey, just trying to make conversation.” Nearby, the six seals had finished drawing the symbols of their respective groups around the pillar of light, using the blood of the Scarlet King’s fallen demons as per the ancient sealing ritual. “And now, we begin the incantation to seal away the Scarlet King.” Lewis announced to the assembled party. They each pulled a piece of parchment from their pockets; the words to the incantation. In unison, they all spoke aloud.

Seven seals, seven rings, seven brides for the Scarlet King. They gather round the natal bed, the foolish and the wise. They fear the child yet to be born, whose voice shall rend the skies. The faithful watch the forest for the coming of the king. Their lanterns bright, they wait at night for the new world he shall bring. The dragon waits in shadows, his breath will scorch the land. The hero in the castle draws his sword and makes his stand.

The barrier between dimensions continued to rupture, causing portals to appear on the surface nearby. Through these portals came forth entities of all sorts, primarily those contained by the SCP foundation. Marina fired an electrically-charged brella at a demon while dr. Kondraki shot it between the eyes. A portal opened in front of them, both taking a stance in preparation for whatever horror might emerge. Except, of course, an eight-year old girl. “Sigurrós!” The octoling ran over to SCP-239. “What’re you doing here? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?” “I’m sorry, witch Marina. I thought I could help. I’ve learned some magic at the witching school.” “Hey, that gives me an idea.” “Yes, swordsman Kondraki?” She looked at the scientist, paying full attention. “You see that man over there?” He pointed over to dr. Clef, who was shooting at any demons that came close. “Yeah.” “Why not try out that dragon spell?” “Wait, dragon spell?” Marina blurted, taken aback. Sigurrós held out her hand, beaming with pride as she shouted, “Draconius!” A bolt of plasma emerged from her palm, speeding towards Clef. It hit him square in the chest, emitting a shockwave of black energy that knocked away the demons attacking him. He was covered in a strange black light, which rapidly grew until it was replaced by a fifty-foot long dragon, covered in pitch-black scales with a tail that tapered off to a spear-like point, and rows of 2-inch serrated teeth. The thing that had once been dr. Clef roared, breathing out a plume of fire. “What did you do?!” Marina screamed, staring in shock at the medieval beast. “Oh, don’t worry, it’ll wear off.” Kondraki assured her, muttering under his breath, “I think.”

The princess in the tower is hidden far away, but nothing under heaven can keep the groom at bay. They gather round with leering smiles, the soulless and the dead. Though her soul unwinds, the cruelest minds will keep her in her bed. The potter told his ’prentice to prepare him seven jars. Six he made with grace and skill, the last his hands did mar. the cretin moon no more is howling, gone its mourning black. In their dreams its face is prowling, come to take them back.

The forces of the Church of the Second Hytoth continued to battle the Twelve Stars armada, now reinvigorated by the aid of Rakmou-leusan. The patron deity of the ortothans stabbed one of his spears into the Scarlet King’s eye, only for the King to pull back his head and unleash bolts of red electricity from his horns. Rakmou-leusan writhed in pain, his worshippers losing morale as a direct result. two massive, eldritch shapes appeared from opposite sides of the King in the distance. They slammed into the Scarlet King’s head, forcing it to cease its electric attack so that Rakmou-leusan could stab it once more in the forehead. The two shapes unfolded themselves, a mountain-sized behemoth of metal and a titanic beast of flesh. For the first time in millions of years, Mekhane and Yaldabaoth, patron deities of the Church of the Broken God and the Sarkic Cults, put aside their inherent differences to collectively battle the devourer of worlds.

The king is in his courting clothes, the brides are in their beds. The unborn princes wait in sleep to raise their eager heads. The hens were in the henhouse and seven eggs did lay, till the fox crept in by dark of night and stole the eggs away. Six were broken by their bindings six no more shall sing. Comes the seventh full unwinding and all the bells will ring. When the first had given birth, then all the birds did sing. Her screaming cries did shake the skies, as she called out for her king.

“Come on guys, we need to keep going until they finish the incantation!” Marcus yelled, shooting a blast of plasma out of his splatling at a demon. “Yeah, no kidding.” Lauren agreed, shooting another demon while rolling to avoid its claws. “Wonder how long this is going to take.” “Guys, look! A portal!” Katherine warned, as an SCP-3199 emerged into their reality. “Oh man that thing is ugly.” “Yeah, tell me about it. I fought one of these freaks back at Innsmouth county a few weeks ago. If you see a lump in its throat, make sure to kick it down before it can vomit out the egg.” “You mean that egg?” Marcus pointed to the giant humanoid chicken, which was screaming in pain as a massive lump raised through its neck. “Yes, exactly! We’ve got to stop it before it reproduces!” “On it!” Kat turned her dualies into daggers, jumping forwards to slice the monster’s neck open. It fell over dead, spilling acidic blood onto the ground while a half dozen of its brethren came through more portals. “Great. Regular demons and demon birds.” Marcus remarked, followed up by a deafening roar. “And now a dragon. Just what we need right now.”

By doctor’s blade the second bade a life into the world. Untimely hewn neath a silent moon, the king’s red flag unfurled. His bride the third remained unheard, her cries for help ignored. She stopped her life with a surgeon’s knife, and gave it to our lord. The fourth prepares a dagger and places it at her heart. The perfect cure cannot make pure what the king has set apart. The fifth one’s crown was bearing down upon the fox’s set. The den was sundered with mighty thunder, an apocalypse beget.  
Callie and Marie stood back-to-back fighting the demons, hitting them with the roller and blasts of plasma, until they eventually had to change up their strategy once the giant bird-things started showing up. At some point, Callie was riding one of the SCP-3199s when she whacked it on the head with her roller, allowing her to vault over to where Nate and Eric were fighting another group of demons. “Hey, guys, so, anyone know what’s up with the dragon?” “Yeah, I think it’s Clef. Marina said something about a crazy little witch girl.” Nate answered, tossing a splatbomb into one of the scarlet demons’ open mouths. “Oh, yeah, I guess that makes sense.” More and more portals started to open all over as the incantation came closer to completion and the Scarlet King continued to battle the three gods amidst the stars. Marcus and Ethan ran past her, firing plasma blasts into the chest of SCP-106 while lord Blackwood continued to dance around the opposition, gracefully cutting down any abomination that stood in his way. A massive ape-thing in a spacesuit appeared, grabbing two of the scarlet demons and tossing them straight into 106 to knock it down. “Hey, 2006! Good to see you again, buddy! Ready to help save the world?” The shapeshifter turned into an inkling, confirming, “You bet! I’ve got no idea what’s going on, but I’ll help out as best I can.” He ran off, Ethan asking, “Wait, who?” “Oh, that’s SCP-2006. He’s a shapeshifter who can turn into your worst fear, but he’s cool. The two of us really hit it off last halloween.” “You mean the halloween where Inkopolis was nearly destroyed by a flaming giant?” “Yeah, that’s the one!” He gently punched his friend’s shoulder while Blackwood and mr. Deeds plunged their swords into SCP-682.  
On the sixth’s day, the walls gave way, and the oceans turned to ash. Her birth gave work, as the earth shook, underneath the king’s fell lash. The seventh bride will break the tides, the moon no more will shine. There comes a day not far away, she’ll birth the death of time.

Near the gateway pillar, a circle of green light appeared on the ground, levitating in the air. As it rose, a figure appeared from below, summoned by the sealing ritual. It was a middle aged-looking woman, but she was covered in scars and her eyes were those of someone who’d endured millenia of torture under the Scarlet King. A’habbat, the seventh seal, looked to the stars where her groom-father continued his campaign against Mekhane, Yaldabaoth, Rakmou-leusan, and the ortothan fleet. Wordlessly, she rose into the air, appearing near the devourer’s titanic head in the time it took to blink. For the first time since he had been sealed away, the Scarlet King was truly surprised. Three ancient beings appeared from their realm, the brothers of death, summoned by the tearing of the cosmic order. The seven surrounded the Scarlet King, and together pierced him with seven sets of seven spears, until he disappeared, dead at last, his vile essence claimed by the brothers of death. A’habbat returned to her own domain, as did the others, leaving the stars above the earth clear once more.

On the surface of the world, the effects of the Scarlet King’s demise were almost immediate. The gateway narrowed until it collapsed in on itself, leaving nothing but a crater behind. The creatures, individuals, and entities not native to the dimension flickered before disappearing, gone back to their own times and places as though nothing had happened. The demonic hordes, no longer fueled by the power of the King, were reduced to ash on the spot, the cracks in the ground leading to Universe-Kappa-Erikesh closing as if they’d never been there. The destruction had scarcely had time to spread past the city of Inkopolis, and while it was a ruin, it had overall survived. Callie, Marie, Lauren, Marcus, Pearl, Marina, Katherine, Ethan, Trent, Sydney, Madison, Tyler, Nate, Samantha, Margaret, Eric, and Craig regained consciousness on the former battleground of a street. “Woah. What happened?” Mark asked, looking around hazily. “I think… I think we just saved the multiverse.” Maddie answered him, grinning while looking at the sky. “It’s over! Yes! It’s finally over!” Callie celebrated, sitting on a nearby bench. “I forgot how good it feels to not wonder what sort of anomaly is going to attack next.” “I know, right? We should do something to celebrate.” Nate agreed. “You know...” Sydney moved over to Tyler’s side, “I seem to recall before the Scarlet King got out, someone said something about a party.” “Uh, Syd, I don’t think my place can fit this many.” “Well, mine can.” Marina piped up, explaining to the blue team, “We’ve been using my home as a base of operations ever since our other headquarters were destroyed. Now that we’ve finally won, I suppose I can let you guys throw a victory party.” “Heck yeah! Christmas victory at the base! Let’s do this team, We’ve earned it!” Pearl screamed, and the others didn’t take much convincing to agree that they’d earned this. The seventeen of them headed back to their new base, intent on celebrating the aversion of the end times and the death of the Scarlet King.


	2. chapter 48 BETA

Critter Profile: Tori!

Overview!

Name: Tori!

Species: Octopus vulgaris(Common Octopus)

Primary Caretaker: Aquatic Team, Albert Westrin

Diet: Fish, anchovies in particular

Housed: Marine Enclosure 8

Creature Features!

‘Tori’ is our nickname for an octopus we found recently here in Boring, Oregon. Despite the fact that Octopi are native to saltwater, we found Tori miles away from any saltwater. In fact, Tori seems to be a hydrophobe; when we tried to put her in a water tank, she tried to slip out of our hands. We found out why when we finally managed to put one of her tentacles into the water, only for the tip to dissolve right then and there! Aside from being an octopus who can’t survive in water, The most notable thing about Tori is that she’s bright purple all over. Between the color, big eyes, and simplistic shape compared to most octopi, Tori looks almost like something out of a cartoon!

History!

Faeowynn Wilson found Tori by chance while walking down a street near the Wilson’s Wildlife Center, and in the middle of the road no less! Fortunately, there wasn’t much traffic and the stoplight was red, so Fae was easily able to get Tori out of the road. After that, she managed to get Tori to the Wildlife center without incident. After the infamous water tank incident(See above), we put Tori in a non-aquatic tank. We’ve still got the aquatics team taking care of her since she’s an octopus, though.

Special Needs and Accommodations!

Because of Tori’s inability to survive in water, we’ve got her in a separate container for right now, though we’re hoping to get her a bigger box. For now, her container is a plexiglass box with plenty of air holes drilled in. We tried to put her in one of the larger one-animal cages, but all that happened was Tori managing to easily slip through the bars! That meant the only reliable way we could keep her from wandering off and getting herself hurt was to put her in the containment we’ve got right now.

Notes about Tori!

We’ve only had Tori for a few hours so far, so we admittedly don’t know much about her. In fact, the only reason I’m writing this down so quickly after finalizing her containment is because I have nothing better to do.

Albert Westrin hit the save button, adding Tori’s page to the Wilson’s Wildlife database. He took a sip of his midday coffee before he heard a loud clattering sound from downstairs. He closed down his computer before rushing to check the noise. By the time he made it there, the only unusual thing was that Tori’s container was upside-down on the floor, leaving it open since it was a five-sided box with the table meant to act as the bottom. The plexiglass was supposed to be too heavy for Tori to be able to push it off the table, but now she’d turned into some sort of purple blob-thing that filled the entire volume of the case. Once he got over his initial shock, Albert picked up the container, turned the bottom towards the floor, and shook it until Tori fell out. Instead of a brightly-colored octopus, a teenage girl, about 14 or 15-looking, sat up on the floor rubbing her head. Upon closer inspection, that head was adorned with what looked like tentacles, the two longest being on either side of the face. There were suction cups on them, and the longest right-hand tentacle was cut off at the tip. “Ow. Geeze, that smarts.” The girl groaned, rubbing the stump. After a few seconds, she noticed Albert and hastily stood up. “Hey, easy, I’m not going to hurt you. We didn’t know… well, I mean, we thought you were an octopus. It’s our job to keep supernatural animals safe, you see.” The child hesitated before responding, “Don’t worry; I overheard you guys talking earlier. I know it was just a misunderstanding. Besides, you’re not the first one to accidentally kidnap me. That poor pizza delivery boy...” Her voice trailed off. “What are you, if you don’t mind me asking?" "I’m an octoling, from an alternate dimension.” “An alternate dimension? I wasn’t aware those really existed.” Albert mused. “Yeah, neither was I until a few months ago. Look, just do some paperwork and make sure everyone working here knows I’m leaving, and I’ll be right out of your hair.” She made her way towards the door. “Very well, but at least let me help you get outside the wildlife center.” Albert suggested. “Okay, I can live with that.” They walked out, the older one asking, “So, any reason you were an octopus earlier?” “Well, my species can usually shapeshift-” She demonstrated by turning into her octopus form for a few seconds before turning back. “-but I got shot with this weird dart that locked me in that form temporarily, and then I got tossed through a portal into this dimension.” “Well, that’s unfortunate. Do you have any way to get back to your dimension?” “Not really, but my friends have interdimensional capabilities. Just get me somewhere so I can wait for them to find me.” “I suppose that’s as decent a plan as any. By the way, sorry about accidentally cutting your hair...tentacle...whatever that is.” “No worries. If I manage to find my dimension before it grows back, I’ll have a story to tell the others. “True. Oh, here’s our ride.” He pointed at a small white vehicle, curved at the top so it almost looked like a giant egg. There were two wheels on the sides of the front, and another in the middle of the back. The vehicle was barely big enough for one, maybe two people to sit in comfortably. “Please tell me our ride is somewhere behind this… whatever this is.” “Nope.” Albert opened the door, revealing a single seat in the middle with a steering wheel in front. “It’s a Veemo brand. Usually these are only available for reservation in Canada, but I’ve got a cousin who managed to rent one out to me for the month.” “Makes sense to me.” Kat remarked, squeezing into the empty back. “This is meant for one person, so you might want to shapeshift so you’re not so cramped.” “Oh please, I spent plenty of time in octopus form. Besides, I can fit in here easy.” Katherine argued, trying to fold herself to fit into the back of the car. “Besides, if I turn back, how can I make fun of other peoples’ driving?” “Fair enough.” Albert started driving the car into the street, where it looked sorely out of place. “You know, I hear this brand is quite popular in Canada.” “Oh yeah, I’m sure everyone will be jealous of a one-seat car.” “Well, to each their own, I suppose. Anywhere in particular you want me to drop you off?” “I dunno, just anywhere really. I mean, don’t you have to get back to work?” “True, but I should be good for an hour or so.” “Alright.” “Well, I figure I should let you know that word has it this place is apparently some sort of nexus, which is why we get so many supernatural creatures around here.” “If this town is a nexus, d’ya think that means I can find someone who can get me back to my own dimension?” “Maybe. I’m not really sure about all this interdimensional stuff.” “Well, if you don’t mind me asking, what sort of animals do you guys keep?” Albert’s face lit up as he answered, “We’ve got the greatest variety of creatures in the country! A dream-eating tapir, a school of herring that merge into a single being, a singing bear that hates clowns, and just about anything you can think of. This a good place to stop?” He parked by the curb near a sandwich restaurant. “Yeah, I guess it’s as good as anywhere. Maybe I can find someone who can help me.” “I suppose that’s possible. Here’s a 5, and there’s a fedora in the back to disguise yourself. Get yourself something, and then I’m afraid you’re on your own.” He opened the door so Katherine could get out. “Thanks, man.” “Not a problem. Good luck, kid.” Kat nodded, watching the strange car drive back towards the wildlife center.

Sent by: Faeowynn Wilson  
recipient(s): Tim Wilson  
Date: 2020/10/12

Hey dad, I just want to let you know what happened with Tori. Turns out, she was actually a human. Well, actually a human-like creature from another dimension. Albert managed to get her off the premises safely, and he contacted me about it.

Sent by: Tim Wilson  
Recipient(s): Faeowynn Wilson  
Date:2020/10/12

Really? Sounds like my fortune cookie was right on the money.

Sent by: Faeowynn Wilson  
Recipient(s): Tim Wilson  
Date:2020/10/12

Dad, I’m being serious right now.

Sent by: Tim Wilson  
Recipient(s): Faeowynn Wilson  
Date:2020/10/12

So am I. It was a very strange fortune cookie.

Sent by: Faeowynn Wilson  
Recipient(s): Tim Wilson  
Date:2020/10/12

Okay, I’ll just delete Tori’s file from our database. It’ll be like she was never there.

Sent by: Tim Wilson  
Recipient(s): Faeowynn Wilson  
Date:2020/10/12

Good. Now we can get back to our usual unusualities. Still, it is rather unsettling to know our universe isn’t the only one.

Sent by: Faeowynn Wilson  
Recipient(s): Tim Wilson  
Date:2020/10/12

True, but there’s no use getting worked up over something we can’t control. I’ll tell the supervisors about this at my earliest available opportunity. No doubt they’re better equipped than we are.

Sent by: Tim Wilson  
Recipient(s): Faeowynn Wilson  
Date:2020/10/12

Sounds good to me.

After blowing her 5 on a single meal, Katherine looked around for a place to sit until she saw a man with a uniform similar to Albert’s. Sitting across from him, Kat asked, “You work for Wilson’s?” “Yeah, though right now I’m on my lunch break.” She lifted her fedora, letting him see her tentacles. “You’re from a parallel universe, aren’t you?” “Yep. Hey, you wouldn't have any idea how to get back to my dimension, would you?” “Sorry, kid. I don’t have any interdimensional tech.” “Oh. Okay then.” Kat spoke softly, taking a small bite of her sandwich. The Wilson’s employee thought for a minute. “You know, I originally moved here from the city of Three Portlands. It’s inaccessible by normal means, but you can go northwest about five or six hours until you get to Portland, Oregon. There, all you have to do is open a Way to enter the city. The place is a sort of inter-universal crossroads, so you should hopefully be able to get back to your dimension from there. Sorry I can’t be of any more help, but that’s the best I can do.” “Well, I appreciate it, but there’s just one problem: I don’t know how to use Ways.” “Huh. Well, that’s unfortunate. Here.” He folded a napkin, drawing something on it before handing it to Katherine. “Just draw those runes in an alley in Portland, anywhere secluded really, and say the incantation. If you say it right, it should open a Way to Three Portlands.” “Thanks, man. But if your advice is to get me to a dimensional crossroads or hub or whatever, why don’t you help me get to the Wanderer’s Library? Isn’t that place the biggest hub realm in the multiverse?” “Well, that’s true, but the Library requires more thaumaturgic skill to access. If you’re not used to Way creation, you’d need something a lot more powerful than a napkin. Something with some tie to the Wanderer’s Library or Serpent’s Hand, or just a lot of latent thaumaturgic power.” “You mean like a Wanderer’s Library card?” “A wanderer’s what now?” The man asked, clearly surprised by the mention of the object. “My friend has a special card that lets him get to the Wanderer’s Library by making a bunch of runes and speaking an incantation. Course, I don’t have anything like that.” “Well now, isn’t that something? still, I’m afraid this is the best I can do for now.” “Well, thanks anyway. Hey, sorry I have to ask you this, but do you think you could give me a bit of cash for bus fare? I kinda spent it all on… well, y’know.” She gestured to her half-finished sandwich. “Well, I don’t want to give you anything for free. Still, you could give me something in exchange.” “Okay, well, I guess I could give you my food.” “Kid, I already bought myself something. That won’t really work for me.” “Oh, right, of course.” She looked in her pocket, finding a single sea snail. “Hey, what do you think about this?” The man took the sea snail, examining it from all angles. “This is a very interesting item. I take it it’s native to your dimension?” “Yeah, it’s actually currency where I come from. Course, you probably can’t buy anything with it, but maybe you can find some other use for it.” “Well, I suppose we could use this for study. You know what, kid, you’ve got yourself a deal.” He handed her a bill for $20. “This should be enough for bus fare to Portland. After that, you’re on your own.” “Thanks. If I’m lucky, this should be enough of a lead.” Kat walked out of the restaurant, quickly finished the sandwich, and started running towards the nearest bus stop.


End file.
